American College Dance Association Northeast Conference to be hosted at Seton Hill University, Palace Theatre
More than 300 attendees from over 30 institutions will come together in Greensburg at the beginning of Seton Hill’s spring break for the American College Dance Association Northeast Conference from Friday, February 27 through Tuesday, March 3, 2026.
Events for the long weekend will open with a community building event featuring keynote speaker Peter DiMuro on Friday evening. DiMuro, Executive Artistic Director of The Dance Complex in Cambridge, Mass., is an award-winning performer, choreographer, director, teacher, facilitator and arts engager who tours and teaches internationally. DiMuro will also be a facilitator and co-creator of the faculty group performances where faculty from different institutions will be paired together to create new pieces for performance later in the weekend.
The conference features a full slate of classes taking place in Seton Hill’s downtown arts buildings, additional community building activities, panel reflections with adjudicators, and a unique audience voting component for the concluding gala performance.
Six shows open to the public will be performed at the Palace Theatre starting with adjudication performances Saturday, February 28 and ending with an encore performance on the afternoon of Tuesday, March 3. Tickets and additional information are available for these performances through the Westmoreland Cultural Trust ACDA Northeast Conference event page at a cost of $12, which includes all performances.
While the primary focus of the conference is offering classes and performance opportunities to college-level dancers and faculty, the conference also has a unique opportunity for high school level dancers. The two-day high school experience Saturday, February 28 and Sunday, March 1 will include a selection of classes and performances featuring a variety of dance styles including West African, Belly Dance Fusion, Breaking, and Musical Theatre Jazz. Students ages 14 to 18 can customize their experience by selecting the dance classes and times that work for them, attending anywhere from one to four classes and performances. Registration for the high school experience is open and more information can be found here.
This is the second time Seton Hill has been selected to host this event, previously welcoming other college dance programs to campus in 2019. Last year’s ACDA Northeast Conference was hosted by Rutgers University in New Jersey.
““From the beginning, our planning focused on building meaningful connections with the local community and extending the conference beyond the Seton Hill campus,” said Assistant Professor of Dance TaMara Swank. “Collaborating with the historic Palace Theatre to present the ACDA adjudicated concerts invites the public, especially aspiring dancers in the region, to experience exceptional collegiate dance while enriching the experience for visiting college students and faculty. It also creates leadership and networking opportunities for our Seton Hill dance majors and minors, connecting them with other dancers from Pennsylvania and surrounding states and strengthening the conference’s lasting educational and artistic impact.”
The conference will include representatives from more than 30 institutions across New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, Washington, D.C., and New Hampshire including: Goucher College, SUNY Brockport, Queensborough Community College, Rutgers University, Community College of Baltimore County, University of Virginia, SUNY University at Buffalo, Ursinus College, Muhlenberg College, SUNY Fredonia, American University, Wilson College, National Technical Institute for the Deaf at Rochester Institute of Technology, Montgomery College - Rockville Campus, Bryn Mawr College, Slippery Rock University, The University of Maryland - College Park, Rider University, Keene State College, CUNY Hunter College, Drexel University, Nazareth University, University of Rochester, University of Maryland Baltimore County, Mercyhurst University, Seton Hill University, Dickinson College, Franklin & Marshall College, Hobart and William Smith Colleges, Bucknell University, and Georgian Court University.
Find out more information about the conference on the ACDA Northeast Conference 2026 website. Learn more about the ACDA and its mission on the organization website.
Events for the long weekend will open with a community building event featuring keynote speaker Peter DiMuro on Friday evening. DiMuro, Executive Artistic Director of The Dance Complex in Cambridge, Mass., is an award-winning performer, choreographer, director, teacher, facilitator and arts engager who tours and teaches internationally. DiMuro will also be a facilitator and co-creator of the faculty group performances where faculty from different institutions will be paired together to create new pieces for performance later in the weekend.
The conference features a full slate of classes taking place in Seton Hill’s downtown arts buildings, additional community building activities, panel reflections with adjudicators, and a unique audience voting component for the concluding gala performance.
Six shows open to the public will be performed at the Palace Theatre starting with adjudication performances Saturday, February 28 and ending with an encore performance on the afternoon of Tuesday, March 3. Tickets and additional information are available for these performances through the Westmoreland Cultural Trust ACDA Northeast Conference event page at a cost of $12, which includes all performances.
While the primary focus of the conference is offering classes and performance opportunities to college-level dancers and faculty, the conference also has a unique opportunity for high school level dancers. The two-day high school experience Saturday, February 28 and Sunday, March 1 will include a selection of classes and performances featuring a variety of dance styles including West African, Belly Dance Fusion, Breaking, and Musical Theatre Jazz. Students ages 14 to 18 can customize their experience by selecting the dance classes and times that work for them, attending anywhere from one to four classes and performances. Registration for the high school experience is open and more information can be found here.
This is the second time Seton Hill has been selected to host this event, previously welcoming other college dance programs to campus in 2019. Last year’s ACDA Northeast Conference was hosted by Rutgers University in New Jersey.
““From the beginning, our planning focused on building meaningful connections with the local community and extending the conference beyond the Seton Hill campus,” said Assistant Professor of Dance TaMara Swank. “Collaborating with the historic Palace Theatre to present the ACDA adjudicated concerts invites the public, especially aspiring dancers in the region, to experience exceptional collegiate dance while enriching the experience for visiting college students and faculty. It also creates leadership and networking opportunities for our Seton Hill dance majors and minors, connecting them with other dancers from Pennsylvania and surrounding states and strengthening the conference’s lasting educational and artistic impact.”
The conference will include representatives from more than 30 institutions across New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, Washington, D.C., and New Hampshire including: Goucher College, SUNY Brockport, Queensborough Community College, Rutgers University, Community College of Baltimore County, University of Virginia, SUNY University at Buffalo, Ursinus College, Muhlenberg College, SUNY Fredonia, American University, Wilson College, National Technical Institute for the Deaf at Rochester Institute of Technology, Montgomery College - Rockville Campus, Bryn Mawr College, Slippery Rock University, The University of Maryland - College Park, Rider University, Keene State College, CUNY Hunter College, Drexel University, Nazareth University, University of Rochester, University of Maryland Baltimore County, Mercyhurst University, Seton Hill University, Dickinson College, Franklin & Marshall College, Hobart and William Smith Colleges, Bucknell University, and Georgian Court University.
Find out more information about the conference on the ACDA Northeast Conference 2026 website. Learn more about the ACDA and its mission on the organization website.